They are killing the vinyl...

Wow. What album was it supposed to be, and what was it instead?

 

How long?

 

Same here, and even earlier than that. I don't think it's actually a matter of price, as cost of living was quite high in the 70s. So we (me and a couple of my pals) were expecting a certain level of quality. I actually remember that warps were more of a tracking issue then as they are now (possibly for lack of knowledge of how to best adjust the rig, among folks like me). And we learned to be wary in the 70s of North American LPs as opposed to oversea imports; at most shops we went to if an LP was warped upon inspection at the cash register, the salesperson exchanged it straightaway.

 

I have a theory that they started shrink wrapping records not to preserve the outer covers, but to make it more difficult for customers to inspect the vinyl condition before buying.

 

Speaking of Cleopatra Records, their releases do look kind of dodgy, which reminded me of the grey-label releases from the UK and Europe. But I believe they're legit products since Al Jourgensen of Ministry do recognize their releases.

 

It's important to remember that all the people that worked at the pressings plants during the 60's/70's have long since gone. Decades of experience in the pressing and manufacture of vinyl records is simply not there anymore. Maybe in another 10-15 years quality control will have improved to level it was at 50 years ago, as the tricks of trade are passed down.

 

^^^^This is key. I pretty much avoid these plants. GZ is much better now, especially the VMP releases. I would say my defective rate is around 5% and I'm pretty picky. My main offender is non-fill and it seems to be a more prominent problem with Optimal than in the past. I've been known to seek out the Optimal EU releases when the US release is United. I'm glad to see less and less releases coming out of United, at least of interest to me.

I'm not sure what to think of some of the other smaller US plants like Kindacore Vinyl, Independent, etc.

I still prefer a well pressed 150-180 gram record. I think this is the sweet spot for vinyl. Many of the manufacturers feel the same way, so I don't think it's just hype.

Also, a good Record Cleaning Machine helps a lot with surface noise and what is sometimes considered a defect. Even something as simple as a Spin Clean is very helpful.

Warps used to be my biggest offender but most were playable. Now that I have a better center clamp, warps are mostly non-existent.

I also read forums like this and read other reviews to vet my purchases.

 

l have just received a new LP that is going back- not down to noise, damage but the sound quality is so bad....the record in question is 'Live Cream Vol.3' on 1960's record label- it is truly shocking- how can record labels release material this bad in sound is beyond me.

 

Imagine if suddenly a few million Americans went back to horseback riding as their primary means of transportation and were supported by the same saddle manufacturers who have been in business in the decades it has been a small hobby.

That is sort of the situation vinyl buyers are in.

 

It's a hassle. Even if I still continue to collect vinyl, aswell as CD. But I lean towards vintage pressings now, as they are often the same price. And sound a lot better.

 

Brand new copy of a classic Temptations album really bad sound on perfect looking vinyl.
So bloody annoying. Somehow there was masses of these made right.... but now ? .... Can't do it !! FFS....

Yep it's killing it for me. Not going to keep wasting time and money.

 

Bootleg/grey market releases such as that usually have less quality control than official releases. The 90s were probably the golden era for boots, as existing 70s/80s quality tapes were vetted whilst company vaults leaked, which resulted in the reissue explosion. Nowadays we are somewhere in between with lots of lesser quality sources emerging, because the hunger is there.

 

They aren't "vinyls".

 

It's also technically 'Fora' not Forums but it says Forums at the top of the page.

 

Nope: How to Use Fora vs. forums Correctly – Grammarist

 

The sooner you make peace with the fact new vinyl has defects and returns/exchanges are part of the game now, the less frustrated you will be. If you need a break from new lp's, switch to buying used for a few months..... the treasure hunt is a lot of fun.

 

It was in UK to facilitate self service (HMV and Virgin) and do away with covers in browsers (usually got damaged). You had to take cover to cashier and they would retrieve record. Multiple copies could be then put on display and you took to the desk. Speeded things up and possibly less staff. Of course then they had to introduce security tabs and scanners at the doors. These were sealed by the stores and not at the factory.

 

I hope Columbia house is still around.. cassettes for a penny. I don't know if they had vinyl at that time.

 

Yes. The vinyl has changed from 35 years ago. There are multiple "formulas" for vinyl used today. In the U.S., I feel better qualities of vinyl are used, which results in less surface noise. In the E.U., GZ manufactures good quality vinyl. Pressing companies, like Optimal, use a poorer quality of vinyl. In side by side comparisons, there have been some records pressed by Optimal that were simultaneously pressed in the U.S. by companies such as QRP and Rainbo Records. Those pressed by Optimal tend to have a noisier playing surface. All companies used the same masters from the originating source.
Other pressing facilities in the E.U., like Pallas and Record Industry, use a higher quality of vinyl, similar, if not the same, as used in the U.S. I have noticed that these two E.U. pressing facilities often do flat profile pressings. Pallas is linked to Furnace Record Pressing in the U.S. and are virtually indistinguishable. One difference is that Pallas pressings have PALLAS stamped in the deadwax whereas Furnace stamps P.U.S.A. in the deadwax, when they do pressings for Pallas. One example was the re-issued Led Zeppelin albums a few years ago. They were either pressed in Germany by Pallas or in the U.S. by Furnace.
Another thing I have noticed is that record pressing quality was better in the U.S. from the early-1970's and before. First, I attribute this to more experience back then. Many record companies had been pressing records continually from the turn of the century until they started closing their pressing facilities in the 1980's. When their record presses became unserviceable, they bought new ones. This was a normal practice until the popularity of records was declining. The presses that remained were fairly worn out. At this time, record quality noticeably began to suffer. These same old presses are what the new and start-up companies are using now. They think that they have refurbished, rebuilt and upgraded these presses, but like anything mechanical, they are new only once and the precision of a new press can never be obtained from an old press, no matter what they do to it.

 

Myself, I buy , in addition to LP's, 7" 45 rpm records and 78 rpm records. Not everything was made of vinyl, so referring to records as vinyl is not correct. Calling records "vinyls" is on the same level as being sacrilegious. Records have come in many shapes and forms, plus they have been made from different materials. For now, most all records are made of vinyl, but there are different formulas of vinyl. Picture discs are not always made of vinyl. So, calling a record a vinyl is not correct.

 

¨I much prefer buying ¨vinyls¨ to buying ¨plastics.¨ The uses of the term ¨vinyls¨ drives me crazy!

Records sound better, look better, and feel better. Plus you can roll joints on the covers, try that on 5¨ ¨Plastics mini booklet.

Long-Playing Record Albums (albums, records, vinyl, 33 & 1/3s) will always be the best physical medium for ingesting music and ´other´ things.

 

"Record" also has a much broader sense than "phonograph record"... Yet, conventionally, among for instance record collectors, it is used as such...

 

That's an interesting hypothesis. Personally, i've concluded the opposite, based on the theory the best condition copies remain in collections,
and the substandard ones are endlessly traded on the used market. The really good copies of desirable albums rarely even make it to the used bins,
they're skimmed before they hit the shelves.

 

I think that one huge problem is that people are no longer holding companies for poor pressing quality. I feel that we are partly at fault. I use the Vinyl Flat on about 30% of new non-audiophile label vinyl. I am also more likely to accept noisy pressings because I like some of the colored vinyl. For example, Warren Zevon's Excitable Boy on "glow in the dark" red vinyl is very, very cool, but it has low level surface noise that you can hear between tracks - but I keep it because it's the only version cut by Chris Bellman and hell, it glows in the dark.

But, I also blame all of the new vinyl collectors - they just seem to accept warps. I've seen their instagrams, where they are bragging about buying new vinyl and the post shows a Crosley cartridge riding a colored vinyl wave. Oh well, let's hope things get better - maybe Japan will build a new plant or something like that. . . .

 

Haha, ok.
The same thing will happen to 'vinyl'. Vinyls becomes valid by common use, like a whole lot of other mashed language use.